Self–love: an important missing link for wellness and disease prevention

Most of us live our days in search of love or loving others children, partners, friends, and pets. We know from a great deal of scientific research, as well as our inner wisdom, that love is essential for good health and that the happiness love brings is healing. People who are in a committed relationship are happier and healthier than people who are not. Those who are integrated into a community for example, a faith community or a big extended family is healthier and happier than those who are not. We seek relationships with a partner and with community because it's what we are made for. It's natural for us human beings to be in a loving relationship with other human beings.

Still, there is a missing piece for many of us: all too often, we forget to love ourselves. Looking outward, we see others as somehow more deserving of love; more innocent, less flawed. Our self-critical inner voices tell us that we are less deserving.

Children naturally possess the gift of self-love. From that heart-centered place, she can love others unconditionally and passionately. This ability is quickly lost in a culture that instills a sense of lack, of needing material goods, achievements, or other people to complete us to make us worthy of self-love.

For so many of us, self-love isn't even on our radar. We're just trying to get through the days and to fulfill our responsibilities. But in the end, if we do not turn enough love in on ourselves, we become stingy with the love we give to others. We end up having relationship problems and our health may suffer. Eventually, it becomes necessary to take the time to appreciate, nurture, and care for ourselves just as we do for others in our lives.

This is not something that is easy or instantly gratifying. It requires slowing down, finding balance, and basking in one’s own healing presence. This is very much like the slow corrective balancing approach of Eastern medicine versus the temporary and suppressive quick gratification of Western medicine: instead of rushing out into the world to find a quick fix for our unhappy feelings (Prozac, Xanax, alcohol, consumer goods, drama of any kind, infotainment), we need to take time and quietude to slowly, gracefully, kindly take care of ourselves.

Self-love is so different from loving others that the use of the same word for both can be confusing. It is also radically different from the love we crave and expect from others. Each type of love involves different feelings and different results. Loving yourself requires that you accept that you are not a machine, and that you are imperfect. As you focus love in on yourself, unexpected things might happen: you might hurt or feel broken; you might cry or show other emotions that your rational side does not think are acceptable. You might even scream, speak your mind, be angry, laugh out loud, and walk backward. You may find yourself releasing that innocent child out that got trapped inside when you were young and being told to grow up. As you practice self-love, you will find yourself more able to love others more deeply, allowing you to find that ‘true love that most of us desire. That kind of love doesn't fall out of the sky into one’s lap; it comes from the cultivation of self-love.

We have always wondered why, during the first 12 years of school, why we don't teach some of the most important things about life that will really dictate a child s future happiness and health. Why do we spend so little time and energy teaching children about love, marriage, finances, health, diet, and kindness, right and wrong? For so many, these issues are left untouched until there is a problem or its too late and the child ends up learning ‘the hard way. We're not allowed to drive a car, fly a plane, command a ship, or practice a trade without proper schooling and training, but at any age we can have babies and get married without any training or experience.

Learning to love ourselves will help us to take a stand against forces that we know are doing harm to the world forces that prevent others not only from loving themselves, but from feeling safe and loved in the world. Whether its the continual breakdown of family values, abuse of women and children, men and child abuse, sky-high divorce rates, drug abuse (prescription or not), environmental degradation, injustice, or crime, being able to take a stand requires standing tall in self-love.

Why age is only a number – and what it really means

There are many theories about age and aging. Many scientists believe that from the second of conception or, possibly, even the glimmer in a mom and dad's eyes that preceded conception you are set up with a certain amount of time in the body into which you are born. Others believe that lifespan is far less ‘programmed and far more ‘programmable, and that with the help of scientific advances in medicine and nutrition we can dramatically extend the human lifespan or at minimum the quality of life regardless of genetics.

The long and the short of it is that the average American gets to spend about 78 years alive in the body he or she inhabits. Not too shabby. A 365-day year equals 8,760 hours, which in turn equals 525,600 minutes or 31,536,000 seconds. In 78 years of life, you have about 40,996,800 (about 41 million) minutes, or 2,459,808,000 (about two and a half billion) seconds.

The longest lifespan recorded in history was that of a Chinese man named Li Ching-Yuen. Chinese records say he was born in 1677 and that he died in 1933. Although Li Ching-Yuen stated in the year of his death that he was only 197, these records put him at 256 years of age. If these records are true, we can extrapolate that the human body is capable of living a minimum of 256 years. If even getting to 200 sounds completely outrageous, note that there are also many records of Indians living past 160.

Two common denominators of these extended lives are happiness and community. Happier people live longer, and longer-lived people tend not to live isolated lives. As I mentioned in the first article, happy, loving couples or partners seem to enjoy longer, healthier life. Other common denominators which appear to enhance both quality and quantity of years include diet, nutrition, healthful activities, positive thinking, and having obligations having responsibilities to fulfill, which gives people the sense that they are valued, and that they have good reason to stay alive and active. Respecting one’s body and working on one's health more or less in other words, making steps taken towards good health a priority seems to give an edge in both longevity and quality of life.

So, now, let's drop all this talk about numbers. When you begin to see your life and your age as absolutes, you are limiting yourself. If you focus on the quantity of years, you forget about quality until its too late and your health is already failing. What are you doing with this time? Are you making the most of it? Are you resigned to your genetic programming as the ultimate dictator of how well you live, or are you ready and willing to take steps to enhance and appreciate your life, now, this minute this second?

If you are accustomed to thinking genetics as your destiny, know that more research is being released every day indicating that genetics play only a very small role in your health. Lifestyle plays a much larger role. Think of your genes as an instrument that you can either play very poorly or very beautifully: the instrument is what it is, but it's what you do with it that makes it either cacophonously screech or magnificently sing.

You can have fun with this whole notion of chronological age by telling the next person who asks you your age that you’ll need a moment with your calculator. (Everyone has them on their cell phones now, right?) Compute your age in seconds and give it to him or her that way. When you re asked why, just say, I’m making every second count so why count in years?

We focus a great deal on chronological age in our culture, but there is no doubt that we are happiest when we can forget the clocks relentless ticktock and just be in the moment, where we don t even notice the time going by. What role does time really play in our existence? Many philosophers believe time is an intellectual concept that requires a metaphoric model, since time has no concrete reality. According to this mindset, time is a human theory designed to measure systems and to sequence events; to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them; and to quantify the motions of objects. This has little to do with human consciousness or the enjoyment of each second, each minute, each hour, or each day.

Our bodies do have their own ‘biological clock systems that operate in a way that is repetitive and structured. These clocks exist in all living creatures, and tell us when to eat, procreate, sleep, and wake up along with thousands of other internal functions. We don’t need to pay attention to these clocks, and they measure not the onward march of time, but cycles that are intrinsic to human health and well-being. Biological clocks often hinge on environmental stimuli, including daily cycles of light and dark, the monthly cycles of the moon, and the yearly cycle of the seasons. When we live lives that run against these cycles trying to ignore them by staying up half the night and rising late in the morning, for examples, or by trying to live like its summer all year round our biological clocks can get confused. Greater exposure to and adhering to natural cycles such as the light/dark cycle are helpful in re-adjusting the internal clock. As long as we keep our biological clocks out of whack with a lifestyle that runs counter to or ignores natural cycles, we remain out of balance and under pressure to find that balance again.

Liver health, detoxification, and aging

The common notion of aging has to do with the degeneration of the body s organs and organ systems, but this degenerative process can be managed to some extent. A big part of this management can be achieved with appropriate attention to the health and function of the liver.

Of all the organs in the body, the liver the largest of the internal organs has the most regenerative power. If half your liver were surgically removed, the missing half will grow back in six months or less. No other organ in the human body can perform such an amazing task. The liver also helps to regenerate other organs and organ systems through its cleansing and antioxidant-producing activities. Through liver support protocols, you can age more gracefully even more slowly by promoting your body s regenerative powers. Supporting the health of the liver and its companion detoxification organ, the colon, can help keep the body free of contaminants and free radicals that cause degenerative changes and the suffering and disease that can come with these changes.

You can engage in a four-step protocol that will help your liver and body to more gracefully weather the aging process:

Detoxification of the body, starting with the liver and colon.

Slowing down free radical activity in the body.

Reducing daily stress and emotional upset.

Tailoring the diet that best promotes optimal health, taking into account past and pre–existing health issues.

Below, we will go into depth on the first step. You are encouraged to contact one of our technicians to discuss the remaining three steps and to tailor a program designed for your particular body and lifestyle.

Detoxification is a continual process that your body maintains without your help. Unfortunately, life events and environment slow down the process; at times, these factors can powerfully interfere with this function.

Liver detoxification is a slow process that responds best to lipotropics, which are compounds that cause the liver to break down excess fat within this organ so that it can be flushed from the body. The worst toxins that end up in the liver are fat-soluble and degrading and moving these fats out will also aid in removing these toxins. Lipotropic therapy will also regenerate and balance hormones and reduce excessive cholesterol.

Certain vitamins and herbs have lipotropic properties, but they work best when used together. They should be taken as a formula that combines the best lipotropic ingredients. Over 15 years ago, we discovered a formula called HepataQur; with a few changes over the years, we have built on that basic formula to create an excellent vegetarian lipotropic. We recommend, along with HepataQur, an additional herbal formula called Colon Program a single product with specific ingredients that perform dissolving, brooming or sweeping of the colon. Usually, during liver and colon detoxification, any pre-existing constipation is resolved. (If you find your existing constipated not resolved while using these products, it may be necessary to take further steps to correct this issue after you start the program.)

HepataQur: This Product is designed to remove stored fats from the liver and assist in restoring balance. Take two capsules three times a day before meals for 60 days. Repeat three times a year unless you are treating a liver disorder or on medication. (In this case, take a lower dose of two capsules twice a day.)

Colon Program: Begin with one tablet at bedtime for three days. If bowels stay firm or normal, increase to two tablets at bed. Continue to increase the dose until you experience a loosening of the bowels; then, stay at this dose for a few days, tracking whether the bowel returns to normal or stays loose. In the latter case, reduce the dosage by one tablet until bowels return to normal. Continue to use this product for a minimum of 90 days.

Liverlife: 2 oz. or 4 oz. This product helps to drain toxins from the liver and to rebuild its immune system as it detoxifies. Use two full droppers in water or juice three times a day, between meals. Start this product 30 days after beginning HepataQur and use for 90 days.

LivrClear: This product can be added at any time during the cleansing to assist in bile issues, gallbladder problems and related skin issues. Take two full droppers twice a day between meals..

Coffee enemas: This powerful cleansing tool is recommended only for those who have been ill or constipated most of their life and require a deeper cleansing protocol. For over 50 years coffee enemas have repeatedly shown positive results in clearing out intestinal toxins, liver congestion, relieving constipation, and pain. (Some chronic back pain can be traced to toxic buildup in the liver and intestines, and these animals can help to relieve this kind of discomfort.) Coffee enemas are low-volume and remain only in the sigmoid colon, which is the lowest part of the colon.

Between the sigmoid colon and the liver is a duct through which toxins from the colon are sent to the liver for detoxification, and through which toxins processed in the liver are sent to the bowel for elimination the so-called entero-hepatic circulation system. When stool reaches the sigmoid colon, it contains many toxins, which are sent to the liver for detoxification. Coffee enemas introduce caffeine into the entero-hepatic circulation, which causes the liver ducts, including the bile ducts, to empty into the sigmoid colon and be eliminated. Releasing the toxins in the liver ducts makes room for toxins from the body to enter the liver for detoxification. Alkaloids in caffeine stimulate the production of glutathione-S-transferase, an enzyme that facilitates liver detoxification pathways. Learning about the hemorrhoidal vein will give you a better understanding about the cause and ways to eliminate hemorrhoids.

Coffee enemas can be performed along with the liver and colon detoxification program. If you choose to do them, follow a program that explains them in detail. You may want to look up the Gerson coffee protocol, since Dr. Gerson perfected the program.

Is the so–called science on which modern medicine bases its treatments nothing more than a theory – or is it science fiction?

There’s a dictum that doctors hear during their years in medical school. It goes something like this: Fifty percent of what you learn here will turn out to be false. Unfortunately, we don't know which half.

For those who see medicine as based on the most solid of science who believe that one can count on modern medicine because it’s rooted in fundamental scientific truths, this may be an upsetting revelation.

The average layperson sees anything supported by science as unassailably true. The average scientist, however, understands that the science behind health, medicine/drugs, blood tests, vitamins, supplements, herbs, or any other type of health apparatus, treatment, technique, manipulations, adjustments or anything else I may have left out, is anything but unassailable.

The process of discovery in science is about making an ‘educated guess (a hypothesis) about something, based on theories that have come before and been tested in scientific studies. Then, research is performed an imperfect science in itself that will either support or reject the hypothesis. Depending on the design of a study, the biases of the researchers, and myriad other factors, scientists' results on very similar studies can vary enormously. This is why one researcher can have a resoundingly positive result when another, in testing the same hypothesis, may come up with completely opposite results. Scientific support isn’t nearly as compelling as you might like to imagine.

Looking back over the past few decades, we can see how the scientific method even when applied with perfect rigor can yield big mistakes in the treatment of illness:

In the old days, when you ran a fever you would call your doctor or make an appointment. The first thing you were told was to take an aspirin to get that fever down. Today, we know that fever isn’t inherently bad unless it climbs to unsafe levels in most cases, somewhere between 103 and 105. In the interim, we discovered that fever was not the ‘bad guy, but that it in fact was an integral defense used by the body to fight the infection.

A scientific study published in the 1940s concluded that antibiotics fight viral infections. Based on that so-called ‘knowledge, antibiotics were given out to people with viral infections. Today, we know that antibiotics only relieve a very minimal amount of viral symptoms and actually extend the time during which patients continue to suffer from viral infections and may drive the virus deeper into the body.

The one scientific study that seemed to have more proof than all others combined was a 40-year study on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) that was published in the 1960s. This study seemed to prove, without a doubt, that estrogen replacement for women in menopause would keep them young, extend their lives, build bone, protect their heart and reduce or eliminate hot flashes. A decade or so later, it was found that estrogen alone conferred a massively increased risk of uterine cancer; more theories cropped up about how to counteract this risk, which ended up leading to the addition of progestin (synthetic progesterone) to hormone replacement formulations. Throughout the 70s, 80s, and 90s, study after study seemed to seal the deal regarding the huge value of combined HRT to the health of menopausal women, even as a few other studies cropped up showing that maybe the risks outweighed the benefits. Then, in 2003, the bomb fell: the biggest study so far revealed that hormone replacement therapy not only did nothing mentioned in the more positive studies (except relieve hot flashes), but actually caused a worsening of bone and heart health and conferred an unacceptable increase in risk of breast cancer.

Blood work is generally believed to be a very important diagnostic tool, but as it turns out, bloods composition is sensitive to light, diet, time of day, mood, travel, movement, temperature, age, lab environments and lab techs. Any of these influences can change the result of blood tests. And we only have blood or urine testing for, at most, 20 percent of physical dysfunctions that can occur.

This does not mean that there are no valuable treatments or blood tests. It also does not mean that there is no validity to claims that certain medicines, treatments, drugs, manipulations, and the like are helpful for healing or wellness. All forms of health care, including natural, chemical, manipulative, and even energy medicine, work for one person or another. Every form of medicine has its pros and cons for any given condition being treated… including the placebo pill, which has been documented to work for up to 40 percent of the population!

Scientific support aside, a very large part of any therapy healing effect on the body is in the trust and confidence a patient has in the treatment. If you have been given the perfect treatment and you do not believe that it will work, then most likely it won’t work or you will not get the maximum results. The mind and nervous systems are as powerful as most any external or internal therapies. They can assist you in your treatments or dampen your results.

Cholesterol – The simple truth

Let’s take the example of cholesterol. Research shows that cholesterol is bad for the heart, right? And that lowering cholesterol is good for our health? Drug ads tell us in no uncertain terms that cholesterol is a bad guy to be squashed with heroic help from pharmaceutical agents. We are told that if we don t control our cholesterol, were basically asking to have a heart attack.

The truth is that cholesterol is not really the villain portrayed in pharmaceutical ads. It is actually a vital substance needed in every cell of the body. It is the chemical precursor from which the body produces bile acids, provitamin D3, male and female sex hormones, and adrenal hormones (hydrocortisone and aldosterone, which regulate sodium and potassium balance). Cholesterol is needed to construct the membranes that surround each cell.

Cholesterol is critical to sustain life. The body can make cholesterol whether or not there is any cholesterol in the diet (which is only found in animal foods), which is why a strict vegetarian can have cholesterol levels every bit as high as those of a carnivore. Removing all cholesterol from the diet will only cause blood cholesterol to fall by about 20 to 25 percent. Cholesterol levels change throughout the day to adjust to the body s needs.

Cholesterol has many jobs in the body. When blood vessel walls weaken, cholesterol layers itself over weakened or thinning areas to prevent the vessel from bursting open, causing a vascular accident or stroke. Medicine sees plaque build-up in artery walls, particularly those of the heart (atherosclerosis) as a health liability, and it can be when it goes on to excess. But the fundamental problem really lies in discovering what causes the arteries to thin out or lose their elasticity in the first place most likely, a simple vitamin C and bioflavonoid deficiency. Blood vessels need vitamin C and bioflavonoids, along with other substances, to maintain or rebuild blood vessel integrity.

A multi-billion-dollar industry has been created around the theory that cholesterol causes heart disease. Whether there is actually a cause-effect relationship there is far less certain than most people know. One hint that this concept may one day be relegated to the same dust heap as other theories slain by beautiful facts: since the release of the cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, heart disease, atherosclerosis, diabetes, hypothyroidism, strokes, and all other so-called related cholesterol diseases have not decreased even one percent! The simple truth is that these diseases are all on the rise at alarming rates.

As modern medicine continues to prescribe statins at ever-increasing rates and with rising (if unfounded) enthusiasm, the real causes of heart disease go unaddressed. Most heart disease patients have normal levels of cholesterol or nearly normal levels and many patients that have no heart disease at all have been reported with elevated cholesterol levels just the opposite of what we have been taught to believe.

To take things a step further, these statin drugs cause many side effects: muscle weakness and muscle pain, including a fatal form of muscle breakdown called rhabdomyolysis (many people have died from this side effect while taking now-withdrawn statin drug Baycol); nerve damage (neuropathy); and memory loss.

The body is able to manufacture cholesterol, but is unable to destroy it. Cholesterol is removed from the body through a process that combines it with bile acids and releases the bound cholesterol into the bowel for elimination. You might have seen TV ads depicting a happy person who lowered his cholesterol by eating high-fiber cereal. This is one natural way for the body to get rid of excess cholesterol to raise fiber intake. When fiber intake is low, less cholesterol is eliminated, and more is re-absorbed into the body. Up to 94 percent of cholesterol and bile acids are reabsorbed and reused when dietary fiber is lacking.

If we keep barking up the tree of high cholesterol as the cause of heart disease, we will fail to deal with the underlying cause(s) the factors we must understand to prevent and treat it. This having been said, high blood cholesterol levels are more likely to be an effect of the underlying causes of heart disease, not a cause. Any truly effective therapeutic regimen will not only lower cholesterol levels in the blood, but will also help the body become more balanced in ways that will enhance its elimination of excess cholesterol and its overall circulatory health.

Here are a few of the best products and website of this year

CardioQur: Two capsules twice daily before meals for 30 days. Then 1 capsule twice daily. This is an excellent product to balance lipid problems.

HepataQur: Two capsules three times a day before meals for 60 days. This should be repeated two to three times a year. If you use medication daily or have a liver disorder, lower the dose to two capsules twice a day. This product will remove excessive fats and the toxins that store in them. It will also regenerate and balance hormones and reduce excessive cholesterol.

LoVasc is an Ayurvedic formula that works for high blood pressure (hypertension). This product works on some of the underlying causes of hypertension.

CoughQūr Expectorant is a formulation that does a better job than any cough syrup on the market, including those given out by prescription. This cough formula can eliminate the most stubborn coughs, including chronic cases that have lasted for months.

Patients Like Me

We recently discovered a Web site called Patients Like Me, where people with various conditions can communicate with others about what treatments have worked for them. The site, http://www.patientslikeme.com/, is currently focused on Western medical treatments, but will likely soon expand its discussion to incorporate Eastern medicine and other more natural therapies.

In Closing...

Love yourself; age is only a number; don't confuse theory with facts. As we leave you to enjoy your holiday season, please remember that most health conditions can be resolved naturally.

Santa Monica Homeopathic Pharmacy has over 69 years of collective information on integrative medicine and is not limited to finding answers to all your health needs, even the ones you’ve been told you may have to live with.

We have over 73 years of collective knowledge in modern and alternative medicine. We help our client's restore their health.